Remembering Conner Owen, Ashville football player who always had a smile on his face

Ashville High School's Conner Owen has been remembered as a kid who always had a smile on his face since his tragic death last month.

Owen died after hitting his head while swimming at a friend's house in Ashville on June 20. He was 17 and was getting ready to go into his junior year at the high school. Owen played football, baseball and wrestled for the Bulldogs.

Owen has also been remembered as a kid that would go out of his way to make sure everyone had a friend and made sure to include those who were struggling to make friends in plans. It was something that even his mother, Jessica Owen didn't know fully about, with new stories being told to her after Conner's passing, leading her to wish she could tell him one more time how proud she was to be his mother.

"He touched so many lives, there's so many stories that I've been told about maybe a kid that wasn't having good time making a friend and he always included him and tried to be friends with them. He was always nice to everybody," Jessica said.

"... They are just new stories that have come to me. I knew he was good to people but just the amount of stories that have been told to me recently since his passing, it's just heartwarming. If he was here I know I would tell him how proud, if he was here, I wish I could just tell him, I'm more proud of you than you think that I am."

For Ashville football coach Kirakias Shepard, he will always remember Owen's personality as one that could frustrate you at times, like any teenager but that frustration could never last for long due to who Owen was.

"He made you like him, frustrate you at time, yes, but his personality, you couldn't stay mad at him forever. He had a way of getting back into your good graces," Shepard said.

On the field, Owen smiling and joking presence was a welcomed one for teammate Mikey Tindall. It was in part of Owen's presences that the Bulldog practices and games were so fun as he helped get other teammates in the mood to have fun.

"It makes the environment a whole lot more fun because when one person is having fun, multiple people are going to see that and start having fun with him," Tindall said.

How a community has lifted a family and team

Ashville posted about an incident involving a student on the day of Owen's passing, leading to the start of widespread support from Ashville and beyond. Replies from Cherokee and Dekalb County coaches shared their support for the school during the hard time. It's only a glimpse into the support that the school, Owen's family and the Bulldog athletic teams have seen.

The support that the Owen family received comes from being there to financial and food. At the funeral that support continued, especially in how many people attended. It showed the family how many lives Conner truly touched.

"It was amazing, it was a sad, hard day but just to see the impact that he made just warmed all of us. At the end of the day we just told each other that no matter how hard that day was just to look up and see how full that church, made us feel so good about the lives that he touched. There's just no words, I don't know how to explain it but I was just in awe when I saw everybody once I came to the point that I wasn't hugging any more necks and could look up," Jessica said.

For the team, knowing they have the backing of the community, has helped them process this tragic event. It has helped them knowing that there is support out there, from coaches to the Ashville community and beyond.

"I think it really means a lot to us, every single player on that team," Tindall said. "I can't speak for everybody but it means a lot to me and it just helps knowing that you have somebody's support."

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How Ashville football is working together to get through

Owen was with a few current teammates when he hit his head, and a call was placed to head coach Kirakias Shepard who then met some players at the school. It was there they later found out that Owen had passed, setting in motion a response by the school to make that they were there for all students. The immediate goal for the coaches and other Ashville was to make it known to the students that they were they for them.

"You just got to be there for them, it's one of those things that you never really get over, you have to get through it," Shepard said.

The Friday following Owen's death, the team gathered to be together before taking the next week off from workouts while both coaches and players tried to work through the tragedy. They slowly came back during July Fourth week and have returned to a regular summer schedule. Throughout that time, the coaches have been there for the players, but they have appreciated the fact that once the players leave for the day, they have created a support circle to help each other.

"One thing I can say about this group of kids is that they are really tight nit, they have really leaned on each other. Especially the first couple of weeks after it happened they really, really leaned on each other to help each other get through it, which really helps them a lot," Shepard said.

While over the past few weeks, the Bulldogs have slowly started to return to practicing and going through offseason workouts. They know there's still a long road ahead while trying to process this grief, especially as a few first come up including first day of practice without Owen, a new school year without him and then a game without him. While they know life without their friend and brother will be hard, they have each other to help them get through it.

"Football is hard without him but it's also helped me keep my mind off him. The whole team, a group of my friends, we hang out everyday and we just there for each other," Tindall said.

Ashville will be wearing decals to honor Owen this upcoming year with his number not being used the next two years, at least through what would have been his senior season. His locker will also stay decorated until then.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Remembering Conner Owen, Ashville football player who always had a smile on his face